Indicator



J' A. KLO PF INDICATOR April l, 1952 Filed May 25, 1949 h ON F U w as W1 M q n 0. mm l w N y 0 v H A. mm W 3% m L 3% k 6L 4 M S 0? GM. I Hul .1Hnnunuunw -nlfl lu- H Huh H H U m 93 Q8 2 8 M x mm 8 W n. A. v 0 0 0 oom HIS ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 1 1952 INDICATOR- James A. Klopf, Dayton,Ohio, assignor to The National Cash Register Company, Dayton, Ohio, acorporation of Maryland Application May 25, 1949, Serial No. 95,360

12 Claims.

This invention relates to an indicating device and more particularlypertains to one in which electrical sensing means is employed to stop avisually observed legend-bearing member normally moving step by steppast a viewing station.

In certain calculating devices, electrical digitrepresenting units areoperated sequentially in data-entering operations, the operatedcondition of the digit-representing units representing the accumulatedamount.

If only one digit-representing unit of a sensed group is operating atany given time the problem of sensing electrical contacts representingsuch devices of a group is relatively simple. Such an indicator is shownin United States Patent No. 2,404,739, issued on the application ofRobert E. Mumma. In that indicator it is only necessary for a sensingmember to distinguish one contact by its electrical potential, all othercontacts having a different potential.

When it is desired to sense the accumulation of data in a calculatingmachine having a plurality of electrical digit-representing unitswherein one or more of the units may be operating at a given instant,the sensing means must be able not only to sense the electricalpotential of a contact but its potential with reference to othercontacts and their elecric potential. Such a calculating device isdisclosed in an application for U. S. Letters Patent Serial No. 71,062,filed jointly by Ernest V. Gulden and this applicant on J anuary 13,1949. In that application a device is shown in which from one to half ofthe digit-representing devices may be operating at a given instant, thelast device to become operating being the one representing the finalnumerical accumulation.

This invention provides a scanning type of indicator which will workeither with the type of accumulator that has but one digit-representingdevice operating for registering an accumulation of data, or one thathas one or more digit-representing devices operating at a given instantto register an accumulation of data.

In essence the novel indicator comprises a scanner having two brushcontacts which are staggered so as to rest on two digit-representingcontacts at any instant, said two contacts representing adjacent digitsin a denominational order, a mechanism moving the brushes step by stepin a direction over the contacts that is opposite to the direction oftheir becoming sequentially energized on data being entered thereinto,means to stop the step by step scanning when the contacts encounter thesituation wherein the leading brush senses a live contact and thetrailing brush senses a dead contact, and a visual indicator coupled toand moving with the brush.

As an example, if ten contacts represent the (IO/I; K1,) (K2,); M3,):N4), ((5,!) ((6,)! 7, !8))) and 9" of the decimal system and theenergization of the 5, 6 and '7 contacts represents the accumulation orregistration of a value of 7, then the leading brush in its travel wouldcome to scan the 9, "8 and 7 contacts in succession, in that order, andthe trailing brush would then rest on a deenergized contact "8. In sucha situation the stepping means would cease operating and the number 7would be visually indicated. The indicator of this invention requiresthe sensing of a condition where the leading brush makes contact with arelatively energized or live contact and the trailing brush makescontact with a relatively deenergized or dead contact before the sensingmovement comes to rest.

The calculating devices to which reference has been made employ electrontubes as digit-representing elements. These tubes are employed incircuit networks that cause them to become conducting in sequence. Inthese devices there is a cathode resistor for each tube which results ina positive rise in potential of a cathode asthe associated tube becomesconducting. The cathodes are the potential points scanned by theindicator and a contact is said to be live when the associated tube isconducting and dead when the tubeis not conductnig.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an indicator foruse with accumulating devices wherein one or more digit-representingunits is in operating or energized condition to represent an accumulateddigit amount.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an indicator whereinmultiple scanning brushes are provided to sense the relative positionsof energized and deenergized digit-representing units.

With these and incidental objects in view, the invention includescertain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, apreferred form or embodiment of which is hereinafter described withreference to the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of thisspecification.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a circuit diagram of the novel indicator, its drive means, andits drive control means, all representing the invention with respect toone bank of a decimal calculating device.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic showing of the two brush scanning system asapplied to a condition where more than one digit-representmg device ofthese scanned has a live contact.

Fig. 3 represents another condition of the device of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic showing of a situation in the Mumma type ofcalculating device wherein only one digit-representing device isoperating, and the two brush scanning system.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown a shield having a viewing aperture2| through which numbers on an indicator disc 22 are broughtconsecutively to view as disc 22 is rotated step by step in 36 movementsby shaft 23, shown diagrammatically, as ratchet 24 is given a step bystep movement by pawl 25 driven backwardly and forwardly by spring 26 incombination with magnet 21. Magnet 21 is normally energized by anelectric circuit extending from ground 28, through the magnet coil,armature 29, contacts 30, conductor 3| and normally closed contacts 32to potential source 33. As the armature 29 is attracted to the magnet,contacts 30 are opened breaking the circuit and allowing spring 26 todraw the armature away, which recloses contacts 30. This action isrepetitive as long as contacts 32 are closed.

Secured on shaft 23 and rotating with it are brushes 34 and 35 eachwiping over a set of ten contacts, numbered to 9, inclusive, and zero,brush 35 leading brush 34 by one contact and both scanning the contactsin a retrograde manner, that is from higher value to lower value, asindicated by the arrows. The contacts scanned by brushes 34 and 35 are,for the purpose of this diagram, supposed to be connected to theoathodes of tubes in electron tube counting devices, as described, andregister conduction in the associated tubes by a positive rise inpotential as compared to contacts representing non-conducting tubes.

When leading brush 35 strikes a contact with a positive potential riseand trailing brush 34 is, at the same time, on a contact with apotential indicative of a non-conducting tube contacts 32 are caused tobe opened stopping the indicator which displays the number representingthe contact on which brush 35 stands.

The control is effected in the following manner. A double triode vacuumtube of the 6J6 type with both cathodes grounded, has anode connected toa 180 volt positive potential source 4| through a 10,000 ohm resistor42. Anode 43 is connected to the same source 4| through 10,000 ohmresistor 44. Point 45 is connected through the coil of magnet 46 andrectifier 41 to point 48. Rectifier 41 is oriented to pass current onlyfrom point 45 to point 48. Such would occur if current was flowing fromanode 40 to ground and current was not flowing from anode 43 to ground.Grid 49 is connected through point 50 and 500,000 ohm resistor 5| tonegative 75 volt source 52. Grid 53 is connected through point 54 and500,000 ohm resistor 55 to negative 75 volt source 55. Point 50 isconnected to brush 35 and point 54 is connected to brush 34. A 75 voltchange toward the positive of point 50 would cause conduction from anode40 to ground, and a similar change on point 54 would cause conductionfrom plate 53 to ground. Under the circumstances of conduction ornon-conduction in both sides of the tube no current flow will occur incoil 46. Nor will current flow in coil 45 if there is conduction fromonly anode 43 to ground, even though point 45 will then be highlynegative with respect to point 48, as the rectifier assi ts will blockcurrent flow from point 48 to point 45. If current is flowing from anode40 to ground, and not from anode 43 to ground, current will flow throughcoil 46 opening contacts 32 and stopping the movement of the indicator.This condition prevails when brush 35 scans a conducting cathode andbrush 34 does not. The indicator is correlated to brush 35 and is shownregistering 7.

The circuit constants, tube characteristics, and applied potentials aresuch that, for instance, a 100 volt positive potential rise on point 50will stop the movement of the indicator. The system may, of course, bemade responsive to potential changes of greater or lesser amount, suchadjustment being well within the capacity of those skilled in theelectronic art.

Figs. 2 and 3 are diagrammatic showings of the condition of conductivityin the electron tubes of the device shown in the Klopf-Guldenapplication, Serial No. 71,062, when representing the numbers "8 and 9respectively. The shaded circles represent conducting tubes and theunshaded circles represent non-conducting tubes. In each instance thebrush 35 is in contact with the highest conducting tube and brush 34trails by one contact.

If the calculating device is operated to represent another digit thescanning will commence again as contacts 32 close.

Fig. 4 represents the situation of one tube only conducting as would bethe case in the Mumma type of calculating device shown in United StatesPatent No. 2,404,739.

The indicator is entirely automatic in its action and may be used withany digital calculating device which will furnish an indication of theaccumulated data in the form of electric potentials representing digitdevices in their operating state.

What is claimed is:

1. An indicating device for scanning a plurality of electric contactseach of which has one or the other of two possible electric potentials,including, in combination, scanning means including two brushes and anoperating drive to drive both brushes together for scanning thecontacts, said brushes being staggered so that two adjacent contacts aresensed at the same time as the brushes are moved thereover, one brushtrailing the other by one contact; and drive control means connected toboth brushes and controlled to stop the scanning means operating driveonly when a predetermined one of the brushes is on a contact having apredetermined one of the two possible potentials and at the same timethe other brush is on a contact having the other of the two possiblepotentials.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the drive control means for theoperating drive causes the drive to operate when the stopping conditionno longer exists upon the contacts.

3. In an indicator for indicating the amount standing in adenominational order of an electric impulse counter of the type havingdigitrepresenting tubes which represent digit values by conducting andnon-conducting condition of the tubes, which tubes are connected in acircuit by which they are rendered conducting one after another in asuccession in response to received impulses impressed thereon and bywhich a tube will produce one potential if it is conducting and anotherpotential if it is non- 'conducting, the combination of a contact foreach tube connected in circuits thereof so the potentials of a contactindicates the conducting or non-conducting condition of the associatedtube; sensing means including two brushes and a brush operating means todrive the brushes past the contacts in descending digit value from thehighest end of the order towards the beginning thereof, said brushesbeing arranged so that the contacts connected to two adjacent tubes aresensed at the same time, one by each brush; and control means connectedto the brushes for stopping the sensing means when the brushes firstencounter contacts having different potentials caused by the lower digitvalue one of two adjacent tubes being conducting and the other beingnon-conducting.

4. The device of claim 3 in which the sensing means is coupled to andmoves a display member to display characters representing the tubessensed by the brush which senses the lower digit value tube of the pairbeing sensed at the same time, so that, when stopped, the ,member willshow the character corresponding to the lower value conducting tubeencountered.

5. The device of claim 3 wherein one of the brushes leads the other andwherein the control means includes means which is eflective only if theconducting tube is adjacent a non-conducting tube which succeeds it inthe order.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the control means includesuni-directional controls which will cause stopping only if the leadingbrush senses a contact connected to a conducting tube and the trailingbrush engages a contact connected to a non-conducting tube but will notcause stopping if both brushes engage contacts connected to conductingtubes or nonconducting tubes, or if the leading brush engages a contactconnected to a non-conducting tube when the trailing brush engages acontact connected to a conducting tube so that the sensing means repeatsits scanning movement if it fails to be stopped on any given scanningoperation.

7. In a device for indicating the value standing in a denominationalorder of an electronic accumulator made up of a plurality ofdigitrepresenting tubes and circuits interconnecting the tubes forsequential operation in response to input signals whereby the selectiveconducting condition of one or more tubes can represent various ones ofthe several digits of a notation, said circuits enabling each tube toproduce one potential when conducting and another potential whennon-conducting, the combination of a plurality of contacts; circuitsconnecting the contacts to related ones of said tube circuits so thateach contact will have one potential if its related tube is conductingand another potential if its related tube is non-conducting; means tosense the potential of said contacts including a pair of brushes andmeans to drive the brushes together past the contacts to sense thecontacts according to the digits in sequence, the relation between thebrushes and the contacts being such that the brushes simultaneouslysense contacts related to two adjacent tubes; control means connected tothe brushes and controlled by the potential of the sensed contacts forstopping further movement of the sensing means when, and as long as, thebrushes engage contacts having different potentials caused by one of twoadjacent tubes being conducting and the other being non-conducting; andmeans operable under control of 6 thesensing'means to indicate the valueof the digit corresponding to the position in which the sensing meanshas been stopped.

8.In a device of the class described, the combination of a plurality ofcontacts each of which has one or the other of two possible potentialsselectively applied thereto to represent data; an indicator forindicating said data; means for driving said indicator, said drivingmeans including a step-by-step operating means operated by a solenoid ina self-operating, make-andbreak circuit which also includes an arrestorswitch; scanning means, also driven by the driving means, for scanningthe plurality of contacts to sense the potentials which have beensupplied thereto, and including two brushes which are driven togetherover the contacts and are staggered so that one brush trails the otherby one contact, thereby enabling two adjacent contacts to be sensed atthe same time; and drive control means connected to both brushes to becontrolled thereby and containing an arrestor-switch-operating meanswhich is operated only when one of said two brushes is on a contactwhich has a predetermined one of said potentials applied thereto and theother of said two brushes is on a contact which has the other of saidpotentials applied thereto; said switchoperating means, when operated,operating the arrestor switch to prevent further operation of thedriving means to drive the indicator and the sensing brushes.

9. In a device of the class described, the combination of a plurality ofcontacts, each of which has one or the other of two possible potentialsselectively applied thereto to represent data; scanning means forscanning the contacts to determine the data represented by thepotentials applied to the contacts, and including two brushes and adriving means to drive the brushes together over the contacts, saidbrushes being staggered so that one'brush trails the other one by onecontact, thereby enabling two adjacent contacts to be sensed at the sametime; and drive control means connected to both brushes and controlledthereby to stop the driving means only when the leading brush engages acontact having a predetermined one of the two possible potentialsapplied thereto and the trailing brush engages a contact having theother of the two possible potentials applied thereto.

10. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pluralityof contacts, each of which has one or the other of two possiblepotentials selectively applied thereto to represent data; scanning meansfor scanning the contacts to determine the data represented by thepotentials applied to the contacts, and including two brushes and adriving means to drive the brushes together over the contacts, saidbrushes being staggered so that one brush trails the other one by onecontact, thereby enabling two adjacent contacts to be sensed at the sametime, and said driving means including an operating circuit having anormally closed contact therein; and drive control means connected toboth brushes and controlled thereby to open the normally closed contactto stop the driving means only when the leading brush engages a contacthaving a predetermined one of the two possible potentials appliedthereto and the trailing brush engages a contact having the other of thetwo possible potentials applied thereto.

11. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pluralityof contacts, each of which has one or the other of two possiblepotentials selectively applied thereto to represent data; scanning meansfor scanning the contacts to determine the data represented by thepotentials applied to the contacts, and including two brushes and adriving means to drive the brushes together over the contacts, saidbrushes being staggered so that one brush trails the other one by onecontact, thereby enabling two adjacent contacts to be sensed at the sametime; and drive control means including a pair of triodes, each havingan anode, a cathode, and a control electrode and each having its controlelectrode connected to a different one of the brushes to be controlledthereby, one of said two possible potentials, when sensed, enablingconduction to occur in a triode and the other of said two potentialswhen sensed preventing conduction in a triode, and including meansjointly controlled by the triodes to stop the driving means only whenthe leading brush engages a contact having a predetermined one of thetwo possible potentials applied thereto and the trailing brush engages acontact having the other of the two possible potentials applied thereto.

12. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pluralityof contacts, each of which has one or the other of two possiblepotentials selectively applied thereto to represent data;

scanning means for scanning the contacts to 30 determine the datarepresented by the potentials applied to the contacts, and including twobrushes and a driving means to drive the brushes together over thecontacts, said brushes being staggered so that one brush trails theother one by one contact, thereby enabling two adjacent contacts to besensed at the same time, and said driving means including an operatingcircuit having a normally closed contact therein; and drive controlmeansincluding a pair of triode electron tubes, each having an anode, acathode, a control grid, and an operating circuit including an anodeimpedance and each having its control grid connected to one of saidbrushes, one of said two possible potentials, when sensed, enablingconduction in a triode and the other of said potentials preventingconduction in a triode, and including a magnet connected in a circuitbetween the anodes of the triodes and energized only when a particularone of the triodes is conducting and the other is non-conducting, saidmagnet when energized opening the normally-closed contact in circuit ofthe driving means to stop the drive.

JAMES A. KLOPF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,430,113 Handley Nov. 4, 19472,444,065 Pouliart June 29, 1948

